Friday, June 05, 2009

Lee Kuan Yew's Malaysian tour of duty

Malaysia Insider, the online newspaper of Kalimullah and Brendan Pereira reported of 'boss' Lee Kuan Yew's travel plan for his next week's visit to Malaysia.

LKY will be visiting political party and state leaders throughout the country. Strangely his extensive travel plan by-passed the radar of Malaysian blogs, except blog Politica here and MyKMU's discussion forum here.

If my understanding is correct, there should be clearance from Wisma Putra for his itenary. Why did Wisma Putra allowed? Or maybe it is not required?

More questions, what is the purpose of his tour of Malaysia? LKY is not someone who does thing without his own reasons. What are the true reasons and intentions of his visit? Anything insidious behind the stated intention to feel the pulse of the country?

During Tun Lah's administration, he improved relation with Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. This improved relation is translated into the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor that would be the much needed physical expansion for Singapore.

Is this unusual visit a signal of wider presence of Singapore into other states, particularly opposition controlled states? Penang state Government have been making regular trade trips to Singapore. It was recently announced that the Penang-Singapore flight route will be doubled from 40 odd flights a week.

The Malaysia Insider report below:

LKY visits Malaysia, not for nostalgia

The Malaysian Insider, June 4th, 2009

JUNE 3 — Lee Kuan Yew — the father of modern Singapore — will visit Malaysia next week, touring several states and meeting with a number of Malaysian leaders and senior journalists in what has been billed as a trip down memory lane.

But there is nothing nostalgic about the trip for the longest-serving Singapore prime minister, senior minister and now minister mentor. He has been at the helm of Singapore since 1959, brought Singapore to form Malaysia and cried when it had to go independent in 1965.

His week-long visit is packed with meetings from the start in Kuala Lumpur where he meets MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on Monday.

Kuan Yew then moves to Ipoh to meet Perak Ruler Sultan Azlan Shah and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir despite the political impasse in the silver state. His trip continues to Penang where he will pay a visit to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and other leaders of the DAP, an off-shoot of his People's Action Party (PAP) after Singapore left the federation in 1965.

The octogenarian will then cross the peninsula to the Malay heartland and meet Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and the Kelantan regent.

It will be his first face-to-face meeting with Nik Aziz, the PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan mentri besar for the past 19 years. It is a recognition by Singapore of the growing importance of the Islamist party in Malaysia.

What is clear is that Kuan Yew wants to feel the pulse of the country that became Malaysia on his 40th birthday in 1963 and figure out if the political landscape will be altered drastically after the next general elections.

The unprecedented win by the opposition pact in Election 2008 where Islamists and secularists came together on a common platform to capture four more states and break Barisan Nasional's two-thirds parliamentary majority was clearly a shock to Singapore which has only known PAP rule since independence.

Much of that victory has been credited with a younger population and politicians who are savvier in connecting with them, using the Internet to overcome the mass and mainstream media controlled by the government. Much the same as in Singapore.

And since Election 2008, Singapore politicians have been wondering whether the strong showing by the Pakatan Rakyat is sustainable or whether UMNO will be able to recover lost ground and triumph in the next polls.

So what happens in Malaysia is very important for Singapore, which is sandwiched between two Asean giants Malaysia and Indonesia, and has been derisively called a little red dot by some Malaysian leaders.

And of utmost importance to Kuan Yew whose pessimism about Singapore survival after being asked to leave Malaysia fuelled his determination to turn the city-state without any natural resources into one of the most developed port and financial hubs in the world.

He is someone that Malaysia can learn from. The only thing is, Lee Kuan Yew is in Malaysia to learn, for his country's future.

Oh ...please Brendan, it is more than just that. Frankly, I am not surprised if he has plans to install a puppet regime. My ears are well on the ground. I am not guessing.

26 comments:

I think Anifah Aman should not allow Lee Kuan Yew to go and see just about everybody who is politically connected in Malaysia.

I agree that old man Lee do not say or do things without a reason, we must always question his motives especially when he wants to see the who's who in Malaysian Politics. He has a knack of making statements that belittle the BN Government since Tunku threw Singapore out of the Federation in 1967 because of Lee's Chinese chauvinistic agenda disguised as Malaysian Malaysia, we do not want him him to make shallow statements about Malaysia now.

Malaysia is a sovereign nation. There should be some Government Diplomatic protocol in force, Lee Kuan Yew is still a member of the Singapore Government being Minister Mentor in its cabinet. He should just see a our PM officially or visit his old friend Abdullah Badawi that is all. At least the Malaysian Government should make a condition that he shall not talk to the press while he is in Malaysia.

Salam to you bro,I, like you am VERY THE suspicious on LKY's visit. Maybe because his intel flow is all jumbled up that he cannot make any sense of it anymore. And he's trying to reconfirm some of the intel that he got. Or he is reassuring his party off-shoot that everything is ok and that we'll be there for you if anything untoward happens in Malaysia. Well LKY's visit for certain will be followed intensely by both intel folks quite closely.Nostalgic konon. Please lah don't patronise us and don't think that we're not watching.....and/or listening!

I am appaled to note how politically and diplomatically insecure some Malaysians are. I see no wrong in LKY wanting to visit Malaysia and meet leaders from both political divide. To claim that LKY is luring Penang's LGE into becoming a Singapore puppet does not ring any logic when the island state is pouring money into the Iskandar project in very UMNOish Johore? Pray tell me what is LKY's purpose of visiting Tok Guru Nik Aziz? To convince him to convert to Buddhism? The Mentor Minister should be free to visit and talk to anyone in Malaysia and this is our opportunity to prove to him that the nation is progressing. We do not want to emulate the Communist bloc countries during the Cold War by restricting face to face engagement with foreigners. By the way, the Sultan of Brunei who is also their Premier, Defence and Finance Minister is married to a Malaysian, has homes in Malaysia and visit this country very often even without diplomatic restrictions. Surely what applies to one foreign leader must apply to another especially within ASEAN? Not allowing LKY to talk to the press here? Hello! Is he visiting Malaysia or North Korea?Well, this article stinks of UMNO's insecurities in most everything nowdays.

Akhramsyah, it is true that Singapore was expelled in 1965. But it is equally evident that Singapore through their excellent diplomatic skills and meritocracy driven capabilities expelled Malaysia from Pulau Batu Puteh in 2008. Woi! Expelled lah! Di buang dan di malukan solely because of our incompetency and ignorance. On Eddy's suggestion that Anifah should not allow LKY to visit Malaysia, I feel its best that the Foreign Minister try to put his best diplomatic mask in Jakarta where the Ambalat issue is spilling over. Which is more a challenge to him? LKY's visit to Malaysia or the too close encounter between the Indonesian naval vessel and our RMN patrol craft? Any exchange of fire would signal the failure of diplomacy and the said incident was too close a call to be ignored for the sake of LKY.

A cabinet member of a country visiting ALMOST EACH of provincial-level, opposition, and other non-central leaders of another country, and if that's not enough, all in one single trip!

This NEVER happens ANYWHERE in this world. Not even amongst EU countries whose borders are wide open to each other's citizens. There has never been anything like, let say, a British PM or cabinet member visiting provincial Governors of Marseilles, Toulouse, or Lyon in France. Neither had they done such a visit nor did anyone being allowed to do so. You ever think why? It's all about DIPLOMATIC PROTOCOLS and NATIONAL SECURITY.

Dear Anon 9.52pm, based on your "logic" are you going to say that Europeans too are politically and diplomatically insecure???

Can't agree more with A Voice, Akramsyah, Anaf, Alizul and Eddy. You guys are right.

Those lamenting on "political/diplomatic insecurity", "closed state", and blindly calling for opening up of everything are indeed very NAIVE. What more with this Grandfather Minister! He WON'T come for NOTHING!

A Voice, did we not purchase the Astros III Multiple Launched Rocket System (MLRS) before they bought the Apache and similarly, our acquisition of the Polish PT-91M spurred them to purchase the Leopard 2A4. Granted being an island state with highly dense population of 5 million, the employment of the MLRS could have devastating effects. Imagine a casualty percentage of 10 percent would spell to 500,000 casualties in a single strike. In this sense, I have more insecurities over Indonesia considering the close call over Ambalat a few days ago and the presence of 2 million fifth columnist in Malaysia today. No encounter with Singapore has yet reached the stage of engagement but I can say otherwise for Indonesia.

... This is despite the recent acquisition of strategic and offensive weapons that the Singaporean Armed Forces (SAF), now in the process of delivery. Lately, SAF acquired the F15 SG multirole fighters, AH 64 Longbow D attack helicopters (both from the US) and Leopard III main battle tanks (from Germany), on top billion SG dollars spending on sensors, surveillance and ICT technology. Singapore Technologies also developing their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), for surveillance purposes. With the alarming military buildup, it shows that the apparent threat Singapore is facing is actually terrorism in nature and not conventional warfare.

Singaporeans, claimed the 6% GDP, which is almost SG $ 12 billion annual spending on millitary as to provide ‘comfort for their citizens and investments’. Hence, they felt that the acquisition of strategic and offensive military assets, for the purpose of ‘defense’ is justified. Some analysts in the region see this trend as ‘worrying’ and reflective of the ‘kiasu’ness of what Singaporeans are noted for.

For the benefit of Singaporeans, it is now much better for them to be less ‘kiasu’ and adopt a more ‘accommodating’ attitude, especially with neighbours like Malaysia. They should work hard to ensure that their neighbours, who are of the Nusantara stock and noted for their selfless-ness, are treated as how close friends should be. A co-operation to build a straight bridge replacing the Johor Causeway is a good illustration of that dis-kiasu attitude, as the effort should promote better commerce, communications and social relationships between nations used to be ‘brothers and sisters’. ...

It means to provide comfort for family, you keep a bazooka to blast any burglars?

Not to mention the F16s already in place. More from Bigdogdotcom below extracted from here:

What is the difference between the government's rejection of Chin Peng application of coming back to Malaysia and LKY's welcomed visit? Answer: Chin Peng has nothing to offer while LKY has the most valuable asset in his possession. When was the last time LKY visited Malaysia? Why now?

Salam Voice,On 2nd thought, lets see what the seemingly smart & old lky intends to achieve from his visit... just like the jews la... depa pikir depa smart & the chosen one... lets see what this asian chosen one wants to achieve from his visit in his twilight years? As someone said, bagilah dia buang tebiat sebelum dia pegi permanent vacation kat alam sana...

Chairman Kaga, kalau you anti-umno cakap jelah anti, ni nak cakap sindir-sindir pulak. Dari bahasa you tu saja kita dah tahu you are either pas pisspot or pkr. Anyway, kalau ada sesiapa yang tengok 'history of singapore' di astro, it will start you mulling over the things said and done in that documentary. It got me to thinking that actually it is not at all about meritocracy or capability that people had been harping about lky and the singaporeans rise to prominence, it is the JEW factor that helped him to strategise. Remember, he was floundering helplessly when Singapore was expelled, this is not the reaction of a man with so much brains and vision, is it? So, this tramping through Malaysian soil must be treated per the man himself. The Sultan of Brunei may be in like Flynn in M'sia but he does not pose a threat to national security. LKY is a different kettle of fish, I heard cries from Lim kit siang's blog commentator for father kuan yew to run over Johore so that that person can move over to JB. What does that say to you? Lky may be gauging the political climate here, is it time for me to invade M'sia? I saw a children's show once, where the proverb learned was "Don't wish for something better cos the one you had was bad,cos that something you wished might be worst than the one you had."

Chairman Kaga certainly has a lot of complains as he feels semua org UMNO/BN and I wouldn't be surprised soon all orang Melayu is corrupted!There are no followers on his blog as yet but the tone of his blog is absolutely anti Malay. He commented about something 'Parpukari' wrote and was particularly upset when 'Ketuanan Melayu' was brought up. I didn't read the rest of his blog because the quality of the arguments and the blog itself is uninspiring.DEI! Chairman konon! Do you suffer from extreme hallucination just like the toppled ex speaker of Perak. Forgot his name though. Not important anyway, but hey we've got you! Almost the same tapi you also seem to suffer from, what I might term as 'Dahbodohsombongnitis'. It's a sickness whereby you start a dialogue but fail to maintain you decorum with 'main tembak' facts and react like someone stuck a screwdriver up your a** when presented with real facts. Somehow I hope to insult your intelligence but I doubt you have any. But in return, please don't insult people by asking them whether they are fighting for UMNO or fighting to defend Malaysia's sovereignty. I think it's clear that most people here have a sound and committed sense of belonging. They are proud Malaysians. Can't you tell by their stand against what you've said? Again it shows your lack of intelligence and what's more your child like attitude. I guess you've been abused a lot at some point in your life because when some well thought out and well researched argument is presented to you, you become incoherent and cynical that shows your weakness.('Dahbodohsombongnitis'effects) Again the lack of intelligence is really showing Kaga! If you've notice I've dropped the 'Chairman' bit because I think it doesn't go well with you. But I guess that's why you have to name yourself 'Chairman' because of your 'Dahbodohsombongnitis' sickness and in your world only what you say goes. Peeeee lah dei!

To Anon.....well look, I think it's cowardly of you not to put up at least a name or a pseudonym. So for the sake of making you sound and somehow 'feel' like a person I, therefore in the spirit of humanizing you, will choose a screen name for you. Okay from here on I will call you SiBodoh. First of all SiBodoh, we all maybe politically and diplomatically insecure as you've said. But I say good! Not scared or insecure but apprehensive. That's a good reaction to a visit by a crony of the U.S. and it's capital state of Israel. I doubt if you have any inkling of what these good full blooded Malaysian guys have got against LKY. Well it's like this, they are agent provocateur for a superpower and a wannabe superpower. Again I don't expect you to understand this because it relates deeply with religion. It's not that they are not Muslims but rather by how they kill Muslims in the millions, for land that they claim that was promised to them by God Himself. I hope for their sakes that they are THE chosen people, because I don't think that this what God has in mind! But then again you'll probably spin this and say LKY is God himself. With their arms buildup it will destabilize the region in no time. And I'm sure if they follow the U.S/Israeli doctrine, they are bound to be involved in the affairs of their fellow Asean neighbors just to stay safe. Preemptive they call it. I call it pengecut! In Malaysia's case PAP has long been DAP's supporter, both politically and monetarily. The also have a blog paper that leans it's way with no qualms about the complaints and threats that it receives. It shows pure arrogance on their part and this arrogance has spilled over to people like you, SiBodoh.They pouring money into UMNOish Johor is an end to a mean. Singapore can't expand anymore and Johor needs the investments. SiBodoh if you don't understand that I can ask my son, who by the way is studying economics at UM to help you out. But if you are implying or going to spin this into the UMNOish Johor needs the income that only Singapore can provide, man you're suffering the same sickness as Kaga - 'Dahbodohsombongnitis'! Wow! It can't be a coincidence can it?And please do not insult Tok Guru that way. Unless you want the ultras in PAS to look for you. I mean information can be retrieved so easily these days so watch your back!And hey SiBodoh, come on! Don't likened us to the Communist states. Do you think that Singapore would give our PM the same treatment? Guess not. By the way, my brother was killed by the CT's and a lot more people sacrificed their lives so that all Malaysians can enjoy a decent future. Including you, you ungrateful scum! Lastly whatever you read or learned about how Singapore came to be remember this, LKY sold his and Singapore's soul to the devil and he can't get it back! With all the glitz and material trappings that Singapore has to offer, he still envies Malaysia.

Sorry guys, missed out the bit about what SiBodoh said about us and the Indonesians. SiBodoh whatever disagreement that we may have with the Indons can be talked over.You see there is an unwritten code of cooperation between us and our cousins in Indonesia.Oh so sorry, I forgot you wouldn't understand.Sorry SiBodoh, didn't mean to waste your time.

(Alamak kawan kawan, benak betul mamat ni!)

But I'll Leave you with a quote - " Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do" - Dale Carnegie